Just Dance 4 Review: A Fun Way To Work Out

Just Dance 4
Platform: Wii U (Reviewed), Wii, Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: Music

I recently bought the latest game in the Just Dance series, Just Dance 4, for the Nintendo Wii U. I figured it might be a fun way to relax and a decent attempt to a new way of working out. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, luckily the game is not only fun, but also a great way to keep in shape. Along with containing some of the more popular music from the last few years, it also features songs from the past decade and beyond in it’s repertoire.

The game play of Just Dance 4 is pretty simple, at least in theory. Holding the Wiimote in your right hand, you follow the movements the on screen dancer as if you were looking yourself in the mirror. How closely and well you follow those movements determines how you score in the game. First time I played a song, I did pretty bad. Only scoring a one or barely a two out of five and having no idea what some of those movements I saw where. But after playing a few more songs, I actually started to improve a great deal, now scoring in the top fours. I have really come to enjoy most of the songs and their move sets. Though I have found that some of the slower moves don’t always register correctly as they should with the remote. This can make things tricky sometimes performing those special gold moves.

You will find a pretty good range of songs in this game. This range is pretty big, starting with the more popular songs of the past year or two, such as Call Me Maybe and Love You Like a Love Song, to different music genres and past great songs, such as Superstition by Stevie Wonder and Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley. As you might expect, there are plenty of pop songs in this game, after all those are mainly the type of games that lend themselves well to dancing. But of course, other musical genres are found as well. This includes pop rock and punk songs from artists like Pink as well as other music. Point is, there is plenty of music to be found here and enjoyed. So even if you’re not a fan of Justin Bieber or Call Me Maybe, there is plenty else here to like.

I mentioned previously that this game can also make a pretty great workout game. Not only are the songs addictive, they are also a great way to keep active and shed some excess weight. The game also contains a section called “Just Sweat Mode” that is designed for just that. Choosing from a personalized workout session for a better way to lose some calories. These personalized workout sessions range from a workout in space/80’s music theme called “Aerobics in Space” to others like “Electro Body Combat” which features a Cardio Fighting Exercise and Electro Music. I’m sure you will find one that suits you well, I ended up really enjoying the Electro Body Combat as it keep things lively. These work by following a routine scheme starting with a simple warm up, then a dance song, then back to a workout session that lasts about 2 minutes, then a dance song again, and finally a cool down session after your time is up. These routines work pretty well, though the only thing that isn’t helpful is how many calories the game says you burned. Since the game barely asks for your age, and with no way to input your weight and height, the game gives you a very conservative and kinda useless number for the number of calories you may have burned. I always ended up burning two to three times the amount of calories it usually told me.

All in all, this is a pretty fun game. If you like music games and are also looking for a new and fun way to work out, check out Just Dance 4 sometime. It has a good amount of music to dance to with plenty more available for download. This game has plenty going on for it to keep you entertained for a while.

Rating: 8.5/10